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View Full Version : AT thru hike gear list, what should i not bring or change? Thank you for the help!!!



audunmyers
12-10-2012, 21:40
I plan on hiking the AT from April 1st through august 1st (4 months), starting in Georgia. This is the gear I have so far and would love to know any suggestions or changes I should make! The number at the end of each piece of gear is the weight in ounces.

Clothing
- M's Vista Ridge Shortsleeve Run Top (GoLite) 5
- M's Vermillion Thermal Full-Zip Jacket (GoLite) 13
- M's Paparoa Longsleeve Travel Shirt (GoLite) 9
- M's Malpais Trinity 3-Layer Liteshell Rain Jacket (GoLite) 7
- M's Tumalo Trinity 2.5 Layer Rain Pant (GoLite) 7
- M's Rogue Valley Thermal Tight (GoLite) 8
- GoLite Thinsulate Glove (GoLite) 3
- Fleece Hat 3
- Athletic shorts 3
- 2 pairs of smart wool socks 5
- MEN'S VERBERA HIKER GTX (NorthFace) 42 (as a pair) any good hiking shoe suggestions??
- Crocs 10
Gear
- Crown V.C. 60 hiking bag (GraniteGear) 34
- Pheonix 3 tent (Northface) 39 (because I’m sharing with brother and splitting weight.)
- Between my brother and I we are bringing two stoves Stove A: BioLite stove 32, and Stove B: DIY denatured alcohol stove 15 (weight including fuel), the reason we are doing this is for nice days we can just use the biolite and on rainy the alcohol stove.
- Z-Lite Thermarest sleeping pad regular 14
- Adrenaline 800 Fill 3-Season Mummy (GoLite) 33
- Black Diamond Ultra Distance Z-Poles Trekking Poles (Pair) 10
- Petzl Tikka 2 LED Headlamp 3
- Nalgene GET-A-GRIP CXC Hydration Bladder 8
- EverNew Titanium Non-Stick Deep Pot 6
- MSR MiniWorks EX Water Filter 15
- Toiletries and other misc. 45
Food and Water
- Food for at most 7 days 224
- Water at most 40

Total Weight (excluding some clothing and without food): 16 lbs. 14 oz.
With too much food and water: 33 lbs. 6 oz.

swjohnsey
12-10-2012, 22:02
You won't carry that much food a water, figure 10 pounds. Weed down the clothes, 1 base layer of shorts, T-shirt, 1 insulating layer, 1 outer wind/waterproof layer. Get rid of most of the misc.

Hosaphone
12-10-2012, 22:14
- M's Tumalo Trinity 2.5 Layer Rain Pant (GoLite) 7

Rain pants may not be necessary for an April 1 start, I'm not sure. Couldn't hurt to start off with them, but probably expect to mail them home pretty soon.


- M's Rogue Valley Thermal Tight (GoLite) 8

Also probably not necessary, but couldn't hurt to have them and mail home later.



- GoLite Thinsulate Glove (GoLite) 3

Consider adding a waterproof layer to your glove system. These are one of my favorite pieces of gear: http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=51

Also love my wide brimmed rain hat. Makes a big difference for comfort level hiking in the rain, and you will be doing a lot of hiking in the rain.




- MEN'S VERBERA HIKER GTX (NorthFace) 42 (as a pair) any good hiking shoe suggestions??

Bleck.

My suggestion would be the lightest, non-waterproof shoe you can find. Do some research on the pros and cons of waterproof vs non-waterproof. The gist of it is that on a trail like the AT, your feet are going to get wet no matter what. May as well just embrace that fact. Once wet, they will be happier and dry more quickly when they get a chance in the non-waterproof shoes.



- Crocs 10

Ditch. No need for camp shoes, really. If you want camp shoes, you should be able to find something much lighter than this.


- Pheonix 3 tent (Northface) 39 (because I’m sharing with brother and splitting weight.)

Is he an identical twin brother? I can't imagine spending 4 months with my brother, and sharing a tent with him no less. Consider each bringing your own shelter. I suppose this is something you can work out on the trail, though - plenty of outfitters along the way and shelters to stay it if you find you and your brother want to hike different paces, etc.



- Between my brother and I we are bringing two stoves Stove A: BioLite stove 32, and Stove B: DIY denatured alcohol stove 15 (weight including fuel), the reason we are doing this is for nice days we can just use the biolite and on rainy the alcohol stove.

32oz for a wood burning stove is insane.

I've recently become interested in wood burners myself. I would recommend checking into the FireFly and Bushbuddy stoves (I own a bushbuddy, just bought a firefly but haven't received it in the mail yet). Both can be used as alcohol stoves quite easily. You can get a lot of good info here: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?88581-Top-Ten-Gassification-wood-Stove-or-Hobo-stove-of-your-choice



- Black Diamond Ultra Distance Z-Poles Trekking Poles (Pair) 10

10oz for the pair? I'm so jealous... Those are sexy. Mine weigh 20oz for the pair :(



- Petzl Tikka 2 LED Headlamp 3

Could save some weight here if you wanted to. You won't be doing much night hiking, and the AT is basically a highway as far as trails go anyways. You could probably make do with one of those tiny button lights attached to a hat with a piece of velcro. I use this headlamp and like it OK, but fwiw on the AT you could easily get by with less. If you were doing a SOBO and expected shorter days and some night hiking, maybe you would want a more serious headlamp, but for a NOBO it doesn't seem super necessary to me. Easy enough to adjust on the trail, though.



- Nalgene GET-A-GRIP CXC Hydration Bladder 8

8oz is way too much... Pick up a Platypus bladder. My 3L platy weighs 2.5oz and cost me $20 I think. Easy weight savings. My water carrying setup is a 3L platy, and a 1L powerade bottle. Water is abundant on the AT, so just fill up the powerade bottle as necessary and use the platy for tanking up before going to camp at night, or if there's a big dry stretch coming up, etc.



- EverNew Titanium Non-Stick Deep Pot 6

You could do better but $$$$$$ 6oz isn't great but it isn't terrible. My next gear purchase is probably going to be this 850ml MLD pot that weighs ~3.5oz: http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=113

I have a 900ml pot right now and find it to be a tad too big (and it's also 1oz heavier). 850ml should be about the perfect size for me.



- MSR MiniWorks EX Water Filter 15

Ditch this. Use Aqua Mira (~2oz), or if you want a filter look into getting a Sawyer Squeeze filter. Sawyer Squeeze weighs in at 4.5oz including the plastic syringe for backflushing. Costs ~$60.


- Toiletries and other misc. 45

I'm going to assume this is a typo, and it should read "4.5"? Otherwise, you don't need to bring the whole TOILET, just the toiletries :p

walnut
12-10-2012, 22:18
Have you heard of GoLite? They have good stuff. The 3 season bag is toasty, for sure.

I'd take them just in case but I bet you'll be mailing the gloves and tights back at Mountain Crossings.

Since you asked for advice on shoes I'll say that my Montrail Mountain Masochists have done me well. You'll get some responses on the Goretex. Some prefer the faster drying non Goretex, especially in warmer months.

List looks pretty good though. Good luck.

RodentWhisperer
12-10-2012, 22:34
Like walnut, I think this looks OK-- although I see little reason to 1) have two stoves (seems genuinely redundant) and 2) take camp shoes (I sit around camp barefoot, and slip in/out of my shoes as needed). I'm sure you'll get many, many more suggestions.

I know my brother and I would be at each other's throats after 4 *hours*. Do consider investing in some UL 1-person shelter, eh?

Odd Man Out
12-11-2012, 00:23
+1 on the sun hat.
+1 on ditching the Crocks
+1 on a better shoe.
Let's think, you live in Rockford MI, home to Wolverine Worldwide, parent company of Merrell, Saucony, and Patagonia Footwear, hmm.....

Turk6177
12-11-2012, 20:06
Keep the crocs. I started without them and was thankful I picked them up. They give your feet a nice rest at the end of the day. They are also nice to wear while your shoes are drying. Also, you may want to consider an extra pair of socks only worn for sleeping. Rotate your two hiking pairs, and keep a nice dry third pair for sleeping.
+1 on aqua mirra or sawyer squeeze filter. You can probably drop one pair of athletic shorts. Hike in the same ones every day and use the 2nd pair to be dry to sleep in. Not sure what it in your first aid kit and your miscellaneous. I would recommend some alcohol wipes or some dehydrated baby wipes to clean your nether regions every night before bed. I think the alcohol wipes kill any fungal or bacterial experiment your body produces while hiking and sweating for hours a day.